#News from FMCG Industry  The overall household paper market has hit a growth ceiling. According to N-Retail Consumer Index data for the 52 weeks ending July 2026, annual sales of conventional household paper fell by 0.9% year-on-year, marking the official entry into a stock competition phase. Against this backdrop, wet wipes stand out as one of the few growth segments in the industry, with both penetration rate and household purchase volume rising for three consecutive years.

Nevertheless, structural challenges have surfaced across the sector: sales of retailer private-label wet wipes surged by 46.6%, while overall sales of branded products edged down by 1.0%. Amid the rapid expansion of private labels, how branded suppliers can escape cutthroat price competition and unlock new growth has become a core industry issue.

· Growth Driven by Market Expansion

Breakdown of market data shows that nearly 70% of sales growth for private-label wet wipes stems from organic category expansion, rather than poaching existing customers from established brands. This indicates the overall wet wipe market is still expanding, with new consumers continuously joining in. Brand owners still have opportunities to capture incremental demand and need not be overly concerned about competitive pressure from private labels. The wet wipe category is currently in a popularization stage: more households are purchasing wet wipes, and per-household consumption is climbing steadily. Instead of waging price wars over existing customers, brands should prioritize targeting new consumer groups, tapping unmet needs, and embedding wet wipes into more daily life scenarios.

· Attract New Consumers and Extend Usage Scenarios to Full-Time Home Life

N-Retail Consumer Index reveals that new wet wipe buyers are mainly empty-nest single-person households and young families with children, whose consumption willingness is notably above the average. With the rising number of single-person households and accelerating population aging, cleaning demands are becoming refined and lightweight. Solo dwellers seek simpler household cleaning routines, while elderly consumers prefer easy-to-use home cleaning products. Young buyers have diverse cleaning needs covering commuting, makeup, maternal and infant care, and more. Shifting focus from “who buys” to “why they buy”, scenario segmentation holds huge growth potential for the wet wipe category.

Meanwhile, wet wipe consumption is becoming more frequent. Purchase frequency across all wet wipe categories rose by 3.5% over the past year. There are more than 20 wet wipe subcategories on the market, yet most consumers only stick to 2 to 3 types, leaving massive room to raise consumer awareness of diversified options. Flushable wet toilet paper elevates post-toilet hygiene; kitchen wet wipes tackle heavy grease; makeup remover wipes cater to beauty routines; screen wipes clean electronic devices, while purified water wipes and cooling wipes serve on-the-go scenarios. The core logic for brands to stand out is to turn wet wipes from discretionary trial items into daily necessities for specific scenarios. By clearly addressing pain points and applicable scenarios, and retaining consumers with consistent product performance, brands can convert one-time trials into repeat purchases.

· Three High-Potential Subcategories

Diversified scenarios do not require investment across all lines. Brands should prioritize subcategories where both penetration rate and per-household purchase volume grow positively. These segments can continuously attract new users and easily develop into household staples. Based on consumer data, flushable wet toilet paper, purified water wet wipes, and non-alcohol disinfectant wet wipes for adults are the three most worthwhile directions at present.

Purified water wet wipes feature versatile performance for both home and outdoor use. Non-alcohol disinfectant wet wipes for adults adopt mild formulas to meet daily sanitization needs of sensitive groups. Flushable wet toilet paper boasts the strongest growth momentum. Its penetration rate has climbed year after year over the past three years, with a growing number of households adding it to regular shopping lists. Sales have maintained double-digit growth for two straight years, and its share of category sales keeps increasing. In terms of consumer behavior, both purchase frequency and order size of wet toilet paper are on the rise; many consumers have transitioned from first-time buyers to frequent repeat purchasers, with solid consumption habits formed. The trend of paired dry-and-wet purchases further proves upgrading demand: households buying both toilet rolls and wet toilet paper spend 38% more on average than those purchasing only dry toilet rolls. The penetration rate of such dual-purchase households has risen by 6.9 percentage points in three years. With the traditional dry paper market saturated, consumers are willing to pay for upgraded toilet hygiene experience — this is the key breakthrough for brands to break free from cutthroat stock-market competition.